


Fate, Up Against Your Will...

by TattooedNurse



Category: Supernatural
Genre: ...if you squint, ...it is Supernatural, ...super slow, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/M, Flashbacks, Hunter!OFC, Hunter!Reader, I can't write without cursing, Named Reader, OFC is a badass, OFC is written in second person, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Starting in season 3, Then/Now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-06-15 15:52:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15416382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TattooedNurse/pseuds/TattooedNurse
Summary: Nova's parents were hunters. They did their best to shield their kids from the life, but taught Nova how to protect herself. After losing her family to the monsters, Nova gives up their dream of her having a normal life and becomes a hunter. She's known Bobby since she was born, and she considers him family... the only family she has left. Slowly she rebuilds her life, and with it creates a small patchwork family of amazing people along the way. She doesn't let them get too close, she knows she's cursed, but she loves them all the same.---Reader insert if you squint - written in second person POV. Named reader (cuz I suck at using 'Y/n')This fic will start off in Season 3. End game is Dean/Nova. The format will be Then/Now... some chapters will be entirely one or the other, some will include both. The 'Then's will relate to the subsequent 'Now's.This is my first time writing Supernatural fic, so hopefully it goes well.---The characters of Supernatural are not owned by me.---The title of this fic comes from a song, Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen. I don't own it, either. It just really seemed to fit. And I like using song lyrics for fic titles. *shrug*





	1. Ch 1 - Then (10 years ago)

Then - (10 years ago)

“Thank you again, Nova! And happy birthday!” Mrs. Taylor called from her porch as you walked down her driveway. 

“Anytime,” you smiled and waved over your shoulder. 

You followed the driveway toward the road, boots kicking up dust as you kicked aimlessly at the gravel. She lived in the only other house on your little dirt road. You knew your parents picked it because it was kind of isolated. Mrs. Taylor was nice. She didn’t have family close by, so you and your mom tried to bring her some food at least every day or two. She was supposed to be moving to live with her daughter and her family soon. She seemed excited to live with her grandkids. 

It was starting to get dark as you ambled down the road to your house, and you were thankful you remembered to bring a flashlight. Not to mention the silver knife your parents had given you a few years ago, just in case. You wished you had remembered to grab a hoodie. You reached into your messenger bag, pulling the flashlight out.

Mrs. Taylor had made sure to send her thanks to your mom, and you had just nodded. Truth was, since you were out of school for summer you had been doing most of the cooking. You really enjoyed it, especially baking. So far, your caramel apple pie was your dad’s favorite. The chocolate cupcakes had been your baby brother, Brody’s favorite. Not surprising, since he was six. Your mom liked your spice cake, and she considered any dessert a bonus, on top of you doing the cooking. Not only did it help her out, it kept you busy… well, when you weren’t training at least. 

Your mom didn’t want you to hunt, but she was all for you knowing how to protect yourself, so she let you train. You turned on the flashlight, keeping the beam pointed down. The sun was down, and the heat of the day was fading a bit. You picked up the pace and let your mind wander. You had insisted on making the cake for your birthday. It was your first ice cream cake, and it was in the freezer, ready for tomorrow’s celebration. Your dad had taken you to the DMV this morning to get your license, because you really wanted it on the day you turned 16. You were planning to have the little family party tonight, but your dad had been called away on a hunt early this afternoon, and you were perfectly happy to wait. You had your license, that was the most important part of turning 16. 

You wondered when you might get to go see Pop this summer. Pop was a hunter, too. Bobby Singer was a friend of your parents. He watched you a bunch when you were growing up. You started calling him Pop the first time you stayed with him, and it had stuck. Now Brody called him Pop, too. Bobby and your dad had given you a fixer-upper car for your 15th birthday last year, your dream car. You spent two weeks last summer visiting and working on it. You were hoping to go for at least two weeks this summer as well, and you couldn’t wait. It wasn’t ready to be driven yet, but you finally had your license, so you were ready. 

Your mom was going to bring Mrs. Taylor her food originally, but since your dad left for the hunt nearby your mom needed to stay close to home. Brody had begged your mom not to go on the hunt, so she was staying close to the house in case she was needed. You had offered to go on the hunt with your dad, but they both shot that idea down. They didn’t even relent when you tried to play the birthday card. You had been on a couple salt and burns… after a lot of begging, but never anything as serious as a vamp. You trained for it, though. You knew about beheading, and dead man’s blood. Your dad planned to meet up with a friend to go after the vamps, and you were on dinner delivery.

As you got closer to the house you slowed. It was dark. That wasn’t right. You family left the porch light on 24/7. And Bodie should be getting in the bath soon. No way were they in bed already. You turned your flashlight off and moved closer. Your mom was a smart woman. Smart, and paranoid. She had lost most of her family by the time she was 25. She had reason to be paranoid. 

So, she rigged your house with safety measures. All of them were warnings, nothing harmful because Bodie was still so young. If all the lights were turned out in the house, or if the electricity to the house was cut, your mom had it wired so a battery powered light would blink on the roof. It was dim, not noticeable unless you knew to look for it. Fuck, it was blinking. Fuck!

You rushed to the shed, leaving your flashlight off. The shed was positioned in a copse of trees, so you couldn’t see it from the house or the road. You loaded your messenger bag with anything you thought you might need. You planned for vamps but packed a little of everything. You strapped on your favorite machete and grabbed the spare tranquilizer gun. Your dad had brought the nice one with him. You loaded it with tranq darts of dead man’s blood. You didn’t have much, but there was enough left over from your dad’s prep to fill two darts. If it wasn’t vamps? You added some holy water to your bag, along with the sawed-off shotgun, loaded salt rounds. Okay, time to move.

As you approached the house you saw a beheaded vamp. His body was on the porch, but his head was on the ground. Good. You gripped the tranq gun tighter, readying yourself to go inside. As you stepped into the house you slid your hand over the light switch, not taking your eyes from the room in front of you. The switch was already on, so the power was off, or had been cut. Shit. 

You crept slowly toward the kitchen, watching for any movement. You lifted the old rotary kitchen phone to your ear. No dial tone. Fuck! Okay, no way to call for reinforcements. You turned out of the kitchen toward the stairs when you saw her. Your mom. She was on the ground with a pool of blood under her. Her eyes were staring at the ceiling. You swallowed a sob, crouching to check for a pulse. Feeling none, you closed her eyes. Then you heard a cry from upstairs. Bodie. You didn’t think, you just ran. 

Bodie’s bedroom door was open, his closet door thrown wide. A vamp had Bodie held against him, facing you as he drank. You moved forward when another vamp stepped toward you. 

“Well, well, well. What do we have here? A mini hunter? I do so love wiping out hunter families. They’re so rare these days.”

“Let. Him. Go,” you spat, raising the tranq gun. Bodie was blocking his attacker, so you leveled it toward the vamp who spoke. 

“Now why would we do that? Your dad and his friend killed so many of my children, it’s only fair I return the favor,” he watched you flinch. “Oh, yes. Daddy dearest is dead. So is his friend. We followed his scent back here, and look what we found? Revenge and a snack!” 

As he turned to gesture to Bodie, you shot him twice, both hit him, and you saw him freeze. “What...?”

You didn’t wait for him to finish, you pulled your machete and swung it with both hands. It was harder than you expected, and it took two swings to decapitate him. When you had, you turned to the other vamp, who had dropped Bodie and was lunging at you. You used his momentum and swung into it, removing his head in one clean slice. 

You rushed to Bodie’s side. He was staring at you. He wasn’t blinking. You felt for a pulse, watching his chest and willing it to move. You knew it wouldn’t. His throat didn’t have a neat bite, it was torn into. You choked on your sobs, blinking the tears away. No, no, no. You took a breath and stood. You needed to check the rest of the house. If there were any others, they needed to be killed. 

After checking the house, you made your way to your mom’s car, keys clutched in your hand. You had found the address of where your dad had been headed on the pad in the kitchen. You needed to check it out, burn the vamps. You had moved Bodie to lay next to your mom before you left. You’d finish when you got back. 

The warehouse was on fire. You looked at it from the car. You went to the far end, as far away from the flames as you could, and pulled your shirt over your mouth. You pushed into the door, trying to see through the smoke. You found your dad. He had an empty gas can next to him. His neck was broken. You dragged him away, but as you got to the door you heard a groan. You looked down, but your dad hadn’t moved. Of course, he hadn’t. You pulled your machete and headed back into the warehouse. 

There was another groan, followed by a cough. You approached slowly, lifting the machete. You watched the man turn over and sit up rubbing his head. “Show me your teeth!”

He pulled his lips up, grimacing and showing you his teeth. You squinted at him. “Push on your gums!” 

He looked over your shoulder. “It’s getting a bit toasty in here… can we do this outside?”

“Fuck no! Press on your damn gums, or I’ll cut your head off before you have to worry about the fire!”

He put his hands up in a placating motion before reaching one hand up and pressing on his gums. Nothing happened. You nodded, and he tried to stand, stumbling. 

“I’m going to help you up, but you try anything, and I won’t hesitate, yeah?”

He nodded. You moved over toward him, leaving yourself plenty of room to move. You helped him stand with your left hand, steadying him. “Show me your teeth again.”

“Really?” he stared at you as you nodded. He grimaced again, and you pressed his gums. When you were satisfied he wasn’t a vamp, you swung his arm around your shoulder to help him walk leaving your right arm free. 

You walked him past your dad’s body without stopping. You got him outside and leaned him against the car. “I’ll be right back.” You didn’t wait for him to answer as you headed back to the door. You grabbed your dad by his arms again, pulling him the rest of the way out. You stopped when you got close to the car, bending and fixing your dad’s clothes. You felt his gun in his shoulder holster. You pulled it out and in one smooth motion leveled it at the man leaning against your car. 

“Hey! What the…?” 

“Who are you?”

“Name’s John. Can I assume you’re Nova? James and Kat’s daughter?”

You nodded, not lowering your aim. “What happened in there?”

“We… your dad and I, we thought there were only six vamps in this nest. The intel we got from Elkins, Daniel Elkins, you know who that is?”

You nodded, lowering the gun. You had never met him, but you knew your parents knew him. Got intel from him sometimes, even hunted together a couple times.

“Elkins said the nest that had moved here only had six vamps. Since his intel was recent, we went with it. Apparently, they made more, or the count was wrong. After we had killed the six James, your dad, he was getting ready to torch the place while I was finishing the walk through. There were three others. They were on your dad before I could do anything. One of them must have knocked me out and left me to burn. Thank you, by the way.”

You nodded. “So, there were only three, you’re sure?”

“I only saw three, so as far as I know, yeah.”

“Good, well, I have a bit of mess to clean up. I’m guessing you’re okay from here?” you asked, nodding to his car. It was nice. Impala. Looked like a ’66 or ‘67. 

“Yeah, need to see if I can track those vamps.”

You smile sadly. “No need…”

“No, you don’t understand, once a vamp gets a scent…” he argued, cutting you off.

“Oh, I understand alright…” you snapped. “The vamps already caught a scent and followed it.” 

John froze.

“They caught my dad’s scent,” you started in a whisper. You took a steadying breath and continued. “They followed it to our home. They killed my mom before I got there. I watched them drain my brother before I could stop them,” you took a breath, watching his eyes close. “My mom decapitated one before I got there. I… I cut the heads off the other two,” you ended in a whisper. You swallowed a sob that threatened before you continued. “So, I have to get dad back to the house. I already salted mom and Bodie. I didn’t want to burn them without him. The vamps will burn, too. Clean up.” 

“Shit. I… Fuck, Nova I’m so sorry. Can I… Do you need…”

“I need to take care of the bodies and gather a few things. Then I need to call Pop. If you can help me get dad back to the house, I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course. Is Pop your granddad?”

You felt the corner of your lip twitch. “No, but I’ll tell him you said that. Pop is Robert Singer… Bobby. You know him?”

John gaped at you. “Uh, Bobby? Yeah, my boys… Dean and Sammy, they’re at his place. Dean is doing some work on a truck, and Sam is studying. I told Dean if he fixed the truck up well enough, I’d give him the Impala.”

You nodded. “I can see how that would motivate. Well, if you would just help me get dad home, I’ll let you get back to them.”

*** 

You stood next to John and watched your house burn. You had only lived there since Bodie was born, but it was home. It was midmorning before you set it ablaze. You had driven your dad’s Bronco back to the house and had it loaded with everything from the house you wanted. You had parked it near the shadiest car dealer in town, John being nice enough to drive you back and help with the burning. You would drive your mom’s car to the dealer, get what you could for it, and then leave town. It would look too suspicious for the Bronco to be here, loaded up, when the cops showed up. 

John had left just before you heard the sirens. You had come up with a story that John thought would work. Bobby could be your uncle. At least as far as the cops were concerned. John would call and give him a heads up. You’d say you were heading home from checking on Mrs. Taylor (which you had done, under the guise of seeing how she liked the food) and saw the flames. 

It worked better than you expected. They figured you were in shock. You probably were. You just had to try and get through this part, then you could break. Not yet. You explained about your uncle, and that you wanted to head his way as soon as you could. They seemed hesitant to let a 16-year-old go off by herself, but once they spoke to Bobby and verified your relationship with him, they let you go. You were almost shocked, but it wasn’t a big city, and it was the South. Plus, it gave them one less hassle. It was an open and shut case, anyway. Faulty wiring. You checked in with your parent’s lawyer and gave him Bobby’s address and number, so he could follow up with you about the estate, then you went to the dealership. 

The dealer only gave you five thousand for your mom’s car, which was robbery since it was in mint condition… but it was cash and no questions, so you didn’t argue. You were glad you took the time to learn to forge both her and your dad’s signatures, so you had no problem with the title. You got to your dad’s Bronco, pleased to see it untouched. This day seemed never ending. The sun was starting to set, but you knew you had to get on the road. You filled the Bronco’s tank with gas and headed Northwest. Guess you’d be seeing Bobby sooner than you thought. You really fucking wished it was under different circumstances.


	2. Ch 2 - Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One hunt finished, on to the next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's the second chapter. This is set in the 'now' (season 3 SPN). Flip phones. No bluetooth stereo w/ spotify. Paper maps. I remember those days fondly, but I like that I can be spoiled w/ spotify and audible on roadtrips now. 
> 
> Enough rambling on my part. Hope you enjoy.

Now

You groaned into your pillow, rolling over and blindly reaching for your phone. You squinted at the caller ID and sighed, flipping it open. “Yeah?”

“Yeah? Yeah? Girl I don’t know who you think I am, but that is no way to answer your phone. I may not be your kin by blood, but you’ve been callin’ me Pop since you were knee-high, so a little respect, yeah?” 

“Sorry, Pop. I’ve only had…” you glanced at the clock. “Three hours of sleep. The vengeful spirit I was up against threw me down a couple flights of stairs before I managed to send it packing, and I’m aching in more places than I realized I had. Sorry I’m not a ray of fucking sunshine.”

“Alright, enough sass. I get it. Still, I taught you better manners than that…”

“You’re the reason I called my third-grade teacher an idjit!” you interrupted with a laugh. “You aren’t exactly one to lecture on manners.”

“What did I say about sass, Nova?” Bobby growled in return. He sighed before continuing. “Were you, uh, planning on coming for a visit before your next case?”

“Umm, I wasn’t planning on coming by right away. Why, what’s up?” you asked, squinting your eyes even though he couldn’t see you. 

“Nothing, nothing. Just, let me know if you decide to stop by in the next while, yeah?”

You hesitated, knowing something was up. “Sure, Pop. Just, let me know if you need anything, okay?”

“Yeah, Bruiser. I’ll be sure to do that. Don’t forget to check in.”

“Will do. Love ya, Pop.”

“Yeah, yeah. Stay safe.”

*********

Bobby smiled sadly at the phone as he hung it up. He pulled his favorite picture of Nova out of his desk drawer. It was from when they first finished her car. Lola. Silly ass name for a car. That was his Bruiser, though. She was a nut. In the picture he was scowling at the camera, grease rag in his hands. She was grinning up at him, arm curled up in a tough girl Rosie the Riveter pose. Goof. Damn he missed her. 

He normally called her to encourage her to check in, not that it took much. She loved visiting, would always tidy up the place, cook for him. Spoil him. She was his family. This house had been her home base since she was 16. It felt wrong that this time he was looking to keep her away. But his boys were here. She needed to steer clear. He didn’t mind her hunting. He knew she needed it. Hell, Nova was a damn good hunter. But his boys… death stalked them. Bobby would do anything in his power to protect them. But he needed her to stay out of the line of fire. He needed her safe, so he could try and keep his boys safe.

Dean walked into the study and paused. “You okay, Bobby?”

Bobby set the picture back in the drawer as discreetly as he could, sliding it closed. “Course I am. Now quit stallin’ and tell me what mess you idjits got yourselves into this time.” 

Dean studied him for a minute, knowing something was up. But instead of calling him on it, he let it go. Bobby sure loved that boy.

*********

You set your phone on the table and rolled back over. It felt like you had just closed your eyes when there was a knock on the door. “Housekeeping.”

You groaned. “Just a minute!” You stumbled to your feet and tugged on your jeans. Then you nabbed your gun, a Ruger Mark III which you affectionately called Vera, from the bedside table. Looking out the peephole you saw a woman standing in front of the cart. Leaving the slide on, you cracked the door, keeping Vera by your side and out of view. “Hey, I’m packing my stuff, and checking out today. The room will be empty in 30 minutes.”

The cleaning lady just nodded and continued pushing her cart down the sidewalk. You closed the door, locking it before you stumbled to the bathroom. After washing your face, you felt slightly more awake, but you needed coffee. You closed your duffle and tucked Vera into a holster at the small of your back. She may only be a .22, but she looked like a ray-gun and you made little pew-pew noises – usually under your breath - every time you fired her, which made you smile. Hey, it’s the little things. You did one last check of the room before heading for the door, sliding on your oversized sunglasses. 

You tossed your duffel in the trunk, before sliding into your midnight green ’69 GTO and starting her up. You tucked Vera into her spot in the glovebox. The MP3 player that was plugged into the aftermarket stereo picked up, and your ‘ghost/spirit’ playlist started where it had left off. You smirked, grabbing the player and changing the playlist to one of your favorite driving playlists. The Black Crows started as you backed out of your parking spot. Now for coffee for you, and gas for Lola. 

***

You were hanging the nozzle back on the gas pump when your phone rang… The Beastie Boys - Sabotage. You grinned, only one person had that ringtone. 

“Yo, G-force. What’s up?”

“Oh, you know, Banner, dreaming of the day I can be as cool as you,” Garth replied, and you could tell he was grinning, too. 

“Yeah, yeah. I thought I told you not to call me that.”

“No, I distinctly remember you telling me not to call you Hulk, and I didn’t. Even if you did hulk out and save my ass on our last hunt.”

You rolled your eyes. “Oh, sure. Whatever. How are you? Any big hunts on the horizon?” you asked, sliding into Lola and cranking her up. You turned down the stereo and leaned back in your seat.

“Actually, that’s why I’m calling, Nov. I think I found two… and since there is only one of me, I was hoping you might be able to check out the other? We can meet after and compare notes. I’ll bring pizza! And beer!”

You chuckled. He’s trying to convince you, but all he had to do was ask. “Of course, I can take one. I just finished up here, so I was going to start looking for another anyway. And are you even old enough to buy beer, Garth?”

“Hey now! That isn’t nice. I’m plenty old enough! Just because you’re so old you don’t get carded!”

“Yeah, that must be it… not anything to do with the boobs. I’m just an old hag,” you laughed. You missed bickering with Garth. It was how you imagined you and your baby brother would be, if he were alive. Yeah. Not going there. “So which case do you need me to take?”

“Well, I have a possible ghost in the dirty South, and what looks to be a vamp case in the Pacific Northwest. I know you aren’t a big fan of…”

“I’ll take the vamps, change it up a bit. That work for you?”

Garth hesitated. “Okay. On one condition, call for back up if you need it. Seriously. If it’s a nest…”

“I know, Garth. I will. Stay safe. Text me the details of the case and stay in touch with updates so I know you’re okay.”

“You, too. And please be careful.”

“Always,” you said, disconnecting the call. You turned up the music, Bowie. It made you smile. You were kind of shocked that you volunteered for the vamp case so quickly. Better you than Garth. And it meant you got to go to the Northwest. That was a big plus. Maybe after the case was finished you could look up some old friends. You spotted a westbound highway and turned off, dropping your visor to protect from the afternoon sun.

***

You flopped back on the bed in your dingy motel room. It was definitely vamps. Plural. The bodies had multiple bites. You measured at least five different sets. Possibly more. Fuck. You groaned and pulled out your phone. The ringing was interrupted by a gruff “Yeah?”. 

“Didn’t you lecture me, just yesterday, on phone manners, Pop?”

“Not like you’ve listened any of the other times I’ve lectured you,” Bobby grumbled, rolling his eyes. Then he realized something must be up for her to call so soon. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m on a hunt I picked up for Garth. He was double booked. Thought it was just a vamp. Turns out it’s a nest. At least five, probably more… haven’t found their hidey-hole yet to recon properly. Figured I should call for backup first. Got anyone in the Northwest that might be able to lend a hand?”

Bobby hesitated as Sam came into the office. “Bobby, I’m making a store run. Need anything?” Bobby shook his head. Sam gave him an odd look but shrugged and left the office.

“Who was that?”

“Uh, I don’t know if I have someone close by. Let me check into it.”

“Bobby, who was that?”

“None of your concern, Nova. I’ll call you back in a few.”

You glared at your phone after you heard the disconnect. Bobby was definitely hiding something. You’d bet that whoever was there was the reason he was asking you about whether you’d be visiting soon. Hinky.

***

Bobby walked into the kitchen, Dean was at the table on the laptop. He looked up as Bobby entered. “Sam said it seemed like you were having a tense conversation. Everything okay?”

“You know of any hunters in the Washington or Oregon area? There’s a vamp nest – at least five of the son’ bitches, a hunter was calling in for backup.”

“You sure it isn’t just some weirdo Twilight fans?” Dean joked, smirking.

“Do you know anyone who can help, or not?” Bobby snapped. 

Dean studied Bobby for a minute. “I’ll make a couple calls, see if anyone is nearby. Should Sam and I…”

“No! Uh, no… I’m sure we can find someone closer,” Bobby muttered. “We kinda got full plates at the moment, what with trying to figure out undo your deal. Plus, I don’t want this hunter getting antsy and going in without backup because it’s taking too long,” Bobby finished, not meeting Dean’s eyes. 

“I’ll let you know what I find out,” Dean said, pulling out his phone and heading for the porch. 

“Balls,” Bobby muttered to himself. He didn’t like snapping at Dean. He should appreciate the boy’s sense of humor despite situation he was in with his deal. Bobby was worried about Nova, and he was lying to his kids on top of it. He hated lying to his kids. And now he was lying to all three of them. Or at least he would be when he called his Bruiser back. He knew she wouldn’t just let it go. She was way too stubborn for that. He wondered where she got that from. Ha. Bobby picked up the phone and started making calls, too. His girl needed backup. 

***

Your phone rang as you tried to research all the abandoned properties in the area. “Hey, Pop. Any luck?”

“Rufus is heading your way as we speak. And a kid named Jessup will be meeting up with ya, too. I don’t know him myself, but I’ve heard good things. Should hold his own at least.”

“Thank you, Bobby. I’m making a list of places to check out. Might do a bit of recon while I wait, but I’ll stay in Lola, promise.”

“I’d prefer you didn’t, but I know your stubborn ass will anyway, so just be careful. Please. I owe Rufus at least two bottles of the good stuff for cutting into his retirement. It’d be a waste if the vamps take you out before he even has to work for them.”

“Rufus loves me. He would kill their asses twice for hurting me, so he’d still be working for his Blue,” you tried to joke back. Crickets. “I promise, Pop. Seriously. I’ll be careful. And check in frequently. I know Rufus has my number, does this Jessup kid?”

“I passed it along. Let me know when they get there, yeah?”

“Will do. And just so we’re clear, I know you’re hiding something. I’m going to let it go for now, but I want you to know I’m not fooled. Love you.”

“Yeah, back at ya, Bruiser. And thanks.”

***

Bobby hung up the phone with a sigh and turned, seeing Dean staring at him. Shit. Out of the frying pan... 

“So, who is this hunter, Bobby. This doesn’t seem like your normal kind of backup call,” Dean asked, leaning against the threshold of the office. 

“It’s… a long story.”

“Sammy’s at the store, we got a bit. And I could use the distraction. So, what’s up?”

Bobby hesitated. He really didn’t want to lie to Dean. Especially not with the deadline to his deal looming in the next few months. He could tell Dean the truth, mostly. It’s not like they’re crossing paths. And maybe it will help. When Dean gets curious about something, he tends to fixate. If Bobby gives him the basics, it’d help keep Dean, and Sam by extension, on track. Okay, where to start? 

“You heard of a hunter called Callaghan?”

Dean thought about it before answering. “Sounds… vaguely familiar. Not anyone I’ve met. Maybe someone dad mentioned? Or wrote about in the journal? Not sure. Why? Who is he?” 

“Well, James Callaghan hunted with your dad a few times. I think John even hunted with his wife, Kat, a couple times. They… well, the life got them, like it does. The have a daughter, Nova…”

Dean chuckled. “What kind of a name is Nova?”

Bobby smirked, glad to see Dean smile. “Well, if you ever meet her you can’t tell her I told you, but she was named after… her place of, uh, conception. Her mom’s Chevy Nova.”

Dean laughed outright, and Bobby joined him, reveling in it a bit. “Now, if you meet her keep your trap shut about it. She’ll knock you sideways if you bring it up… and probably come after me, next.” 

Dean nodded, still grinning. “Understood, Bobby,” Dean paused. “So, dad knew them?”

“Yeah. He didn’t meet Nova until her parents… well, let’s just say she saved his ass, and he was able to return the favor.”

“Someone saved his bacon? That’s something. Maybe I can meet her sometime. Compare notes.”

Bobby nodded. “Yeah, boy. Maybe one day.” Bobby tried not to frown.

Sam came in loaded down with bags. “Am I interrupting?”

“Nope, need some help?” Dean asked, heading to get a load of bags from the car without waiting for an answer. Bobby sighed, standing to help Sam put away his haul. 

***

You pulled Lola up beside the last location on your list. There hadn’t been any movement at the other three, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Any of them could be housing the vamps. The lack of activity was making you twitchy. You took a sip from your coffee and looked at the many possible entrances on this side of the building. It looked like it used to be a factory of some kind. 

The large windows were mostly boarded but didn’t look secure… the panels could probably be moved to allow entrance. It was hard to tell from the car. There were a couple of bays that had the metal doors rolled down. They didn’t look functional, though. Then there were three actual doors on this side of the building alone. One looked boarded shut, the other two were chained. This was the only side of the building accessible from the road, so it probably had the most entry points, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t others. Shit. 

You needed to get out and look around properly. That was a big nope without backup, though. You knew Bobby would check it out solo, as would Rufus, and most of the other hunters you learned from. You also knew it was a good way to get dead, especially with this many confirmed vamps. After watching the building for a while longer, you started Lola up. It was almost sunset, time to head back. Sure, vamps could come out during the day, but they seemed to prefer the dark. Maybe your backup would get here by morning.

You swung by the morgue. If vamps are on the menu it’s always a good idea to stock up on dead mans blood. You had plenty of empty darts. Once you snuck past the clerk, who was watching porn on the work computer, you filled a few syringes as quickly as you could. You snuck back out, hoping both his hands were still on top of the desk. Ugh. You got back in Lola and sighed. Looks like you had time for a nap at least.


	3. Ch 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghost in the past, vamps in the present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things have been crazy, so I haven't been able to update as frequently as I'd like. It also doesn't help that I have 3 series going right now, and my brain wants me to start a forth and fifth. Anyway, I warned that this was going to be a slow burn, and it is. 
> 
> Enjoy.

** Then (3 years ago) **

 

             You jerked the slide back, loading another salt round into the chamber of your sawed-off as you rounded the corner. The ghost’s target, Emily, was in a salt circle in the living room. You had already unloaded two salt rounds into the ghost, but it was persistent. It wanted Emily.

 

            The ghost’s first victim, Brian, had been Emily’s live-in boyfriend. His death is what brought you here in search of a case. It had been ruled ‘accidental’, but the steel rod that had skewered him (when he ‘lost control’ and drove his car into a barricade) had demolished his heart in the process. It had seemed hinky to you. When a second body had dropped – another bizarre ‘accident’, but again with a demolished heart, you had known it was your kind of case.

 

             Your research had turned up that Brian had been cheating on Emily with a woman, Kim, when Kim died in a car accident. Brian would’ve been in the car with her if Emily hadn’t needed him to stay late that night and help her clean up after a dinner party. The girl that died after him had taken Kim’s place as his mistress. You assumed that the new mistress was probably the catalyst for Kim’s rage. So, after taking her revenge on Brian and the girl that had taken her place as his mistress, she was moving on to her next target. Emily.

 

            Emily had taken the whole ‘ghosts and monsters are real’ speech surprisingly well, considering. Between the shock of her boyfriend dying, and then finding out he had been cheating not just once - but twice, she was holding up amazingly well. Add on the fact that the Kim’s ghost was responsible for the deaths? You were impressed Emily was walking and talking. When you had explained to her that she was the next target, she rolled her eyes like she expected nothing less and asked what needed to be done. No break down, no tears, straight to the point. You respected that. You had salted and burned Kim’s bones once you made the connection between her and the victims, so there had to be something else keeping her here. You were headed up the stairs, to see if Brian had kept anything that belonged to his mistress that might be allowing her to stick around, when Emily screamed. Shit.

 

           You rushed into the living room and were promptly thrown into the bookcase. Ouch. Shaking it off you stood and took in the scene before you. Emily was still in the salt circle, but there were books and various debris in there with her. Since Kim couldn’t reach her, she was settling for throwing stuff at her. You looked around the in the chaos, searching for your shotgun. You noticed something peeking out of the pages of a book on the floor. When you pulled it out of the book you saw it was a picture of Kim and Brian. You flipped it, and as soon as you saw the swak you reached for your lighter. Hoping the lip print was the link, you lit the photo. Kim screamed, turning to attack you before disappearing with the picture. When she was gone you moved to check on Emily.

 

           “Well,” she said bracing to push herself up from the floor, “now that that is taken care of, I could use a drink.”

 

           You laughed full out, walking over to her and offering her a hand up. She stood, thanking you and headed for the kitchen. You followed, nodding. “Yeah, I think a drink is definitely called for.”

***

 

             You finished off your coffee and sighed. The diner was nice, and breakfast (although it was closer to lunch time) and coffee had helped with your mild hangover. You left Emily your number before you left in case she needed anything. She had already texted a couple times bitching about cleaning up after ‘Casper the bitchy mistress’. You had invited her to breakfast, but she declined in favor of a little hair of the dog. You understood that, too. You’d been there more than once.

 

             You stood, picking up your check and taking it to the counter. You passed a booth that was occupied by two men. One had his back to you, but you could tell by his salt and pepper hair he was a bit older. The other… holy panty dropper. If he hadn’t been dining with what seemed to be his dad, you might have made a move. He had light brown hair and some scruffy stubble. He had gorgeous eyes. You weren’t close enough to see the color, which you found disappointing. And his mouth? You wanted to find out if it was as soft as it looked. The waitress at the register cleared her throat, breaking your trance. You paid your bill, leaving a nice tip, before booking it out of there without looking back. You didn’t want to risk getting caught staring. 

 

***

 

             “Dad, it looks like a simple salt and burn. I know you’ve got a lead you need to follow. I can handle this one.”

 

             “I think you’re probably right, son. We can check in with the girlfriend of the first vic, and if it seems open and shut I’ll head out, deal?”

 

             “Deal,” Dean replied, trying not to sound distracted. A woman had just stood up from booth in the back, and she pulled his attention from his conversation. Holy shit she was… hot wasn’t the right word. With her curves and those legs, it definitely applied. But it was more than that. The mischievous twinkle in her eyes, the way her lips had a subtle smirk. She was in a tank and jeans with boots. He didn’t realize how much he appreciated a woman in shit-kickers until that moment. She had her hair pulled back in a messy bun with sunglasses perched on her head. No make-up on, and it looked like she had a long night. Damned if he didn’t want to be the reason for it. He was hooked, and he hadn’t even spoken to her yet. Fingers snapped in front of his face, breaking his trance. Shit.

 

             “Back with me, Dean? You gonna be able to keep it in your pants and keep your head in the game long enough to close this case, or do I need to stick around and supervise?” John asked, shifting in the booth to turn around. Dean saw his dad’s brow furrow as he looked at the woman that had caught Dean’s eye. Then he shook his head quickly, turning back to Dean. Huh.

 

             “No, sir. I’m on it. No fun til the job is done, promise.”

 

             John nodded. “Alright then. We ready to go see the girlfriend? What was her name?”

 

             “Emily.”

 

***

 

             John watched the Impala pull from the curb and sighed. Back at the diner he had thought for a minute he had seen Nova. It had been awhile since their paths had crossed, but he knew from the updates Bobby gave him that she was still hunting. His suspicion had been confirmed when they arrived at Emily’s house to learn the ghost had already been taken care of. Something the little spitfire had come right out and told them as soon as they introduced themselves… “Sorry gentlemen, my girl Nova already took care of Casper the bitchy mistress. If you want to help clean up, though, I won’t say no.”

 

             Dean had stood there shocked. Hell, so had John at first, but then he thanked the girl for her time. Dean had asked him if he knew who Nova was, but he had brushed the question off. Dean had been ready to press, so John suggested Dean go on his own for a bit, to try it out. The distraction worked, Dean had jumped at the idea so quickly John worried it was a mistake. But the boy had to learn to do things on his own at some point. John had hoped his boys would be a team, but that dream left when Sammy did. John shook his head and stepped up into his truck. Dean was smart, and he was turning into a damn fine hunter. He’d be alright. Time to give Bobby a call and let him know he saw Nova.

 

** Now **

 

      “Yes, Em, I promise I’ll stop by! I know it’s been awhile, but this is the closest I’ve been to you lately. And I think I’ll _definitely_ need a mini vacation once we deal with these vamps,” you sighed as she launched into her ‘be safe’ spiel for the third time this call. Rufus had called and said he was about an hour out. Jessup had texted to say he would be at the hotel in about 45 minutes. You had decided to use the time to call Emily to check in.

 

          When you heard her take a breath to continue her lecture, you cut in. “Of course, I’ll be safe, Em. I promise. I’ll text you when my backup gets here so you know I’m not alone, okay?”

 

           Emily agreed, and only told you to be safe and stay in touch twice more before finally ending the call. You sighed, setting your phone on the bed. You had walked to the lobby for free ‘breakfast’ when you woke up. The coffee had been little better than brown water, but they had half a dozen different cereal varieties for you to mix however you wanted, so that was a plus.

 

           Sleep had been… restless. You rarely hunted vamps… they brought up too many memories. Avoidance didn’t really help, but after over a decade you figured it was one of the healthier coping mechanisms you employed. Plus, vamps usually had nests, and you liked to consider yourself more of a solo act. Sure, you’d collaborate occasionally, but you mainly kept to yourself. It was better that way. Safer. For everyone. You scrubbed your hands down your face, trying to clear your head.

 

            You opened your laptop and pulled up the city website. A friend you had met in a chatroom years ago, Lucy, had helped you learn some minor hacking. Not anything crazy, for that you had to come up with an excuse for needing it and then beg her to help. The only monsters Lucy knew about were the human ones, and you were determined to keep it that way. You always told her to call you if anything unusual happened and gave vague reasons as to why. The more you had gotten to know her, the more you realized she had some bad shit happen in her life already, and you wanted to protect her from your reality. So, you chatted frequently, and had movie marathons a couple times a year, but you only gave her half-truths about the bulk of your life.  

 

             No new bodies had been checked in to the morgue with unusual marks, but you didn’t kid yourself into thinking the vamps hadn’t killed again… they just hadn’t dumped the bodies yet. You needed to end them before more people died. Your phone dinged pulling you from your thoughts. Jessup was here and checking in to a room. Good. You texted him your room number.

 

             There was a knock on the door just as your cell started to ring. Rufus.

 

             You opened your phone and brought it to your ear as you checked the peep hole. The guy at the door reminded you a little of Garth. His hair was darker, and he wasn’t quite as wiry, but his structure was similar. “Rufus, you close?”

 

             “Yeah girl, just hit city limits. I’ll be there soon.” He didn’t wait for you to respond before hanging up.

 

             You opened the door, your gun held loosely at your side. “Jessup?”

 

             He nodded, extending his hand. “You must be Nova.”

            

             You slipped Vera back in her holster before taking his hand. “Sorry, can’t be to careful. Nice to meet you, thanks for coming.”

 

             “No problem. Dean mentioned vamps?”

 

             You paused at the name. “Uh… Dean?”

 

             “Yeah, he said his friend Bobby was putting the call out for backup. Do you not know Dean? Winchester?”

 

             “Can’t say I do. Bobby let me know you were coming, so I just assumed he had spoken with you. Send my thanks along to Dean, yeah?” Damn it, Bobby. He was trying to keep the fact that John’s son was at his place from you. It had to be. There’d be time to deal with that later.

 

             “Of course. So, what are we looking at?”

            

             There was another knock at the door, and you checked it to see a impatient looking Rufus fidgeting outside. “Rufus!” you greeted opening the door and pulling the grumbling hunter into a hug. “Thank you for coming to help. I know you’re retired.”

 

             “Yeah, yeah. Let’s get this over with,” he grumbled, making his way to the table.

 

             “Rufus, this is Jessup. Jessup, Rufus.”

 

             After the formalities were done you started going over what you knew.

 

             Rufus leaned back when you finished going over everything. “Glad you waited for backup. Makes you smarter than most of us. Let’s go check out the places on your list. We can make a plan from there.”

 

              You and Jessup nodded. “Okay, I’ll drive,” you said, grabbing your keys. Rufus grumbled but didn’t argue. Time to find some vamps.


End file.
